CRA Mail Is Going Digital: What Canadian Business Owners Need to Know
As of October 2024, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) rolled out a new requirement for all business accounts: certain correspondence will now only be delivered to your CRA My Business Account portal.
If you’re a business owner who’s used to waiting for a paper notice in the mail, this change is important — and it might be easier to miss something if you’re not regularly logging in.
So, What’s Changing?
CRA will no longer send paper copies of certain letters and notices to incorporated businesses.
These documents — like assessments, installment reminders, or request letters — will instead be posted directly to your online CRA business portal. You’ll get an email notification (if you’ve registered one), but you won’t receive a physical copy.
What This Means for You:
You’ll need to log in to your CRA My Business Account regularly to avoid missing important communication.
Missed notices can lead to penalties, interest charges, or missed filing deadlines for items like corporate tax, GST/HST, or payroll.
If your CRA account doesn’t have an email on file, you won’t even receive the notification that something new has arrived.
Important: Even if you’ve given your accountant access to your CRA account, they do not receive email notifications intended FOR YOU when new mail is posted. That’s why it’s critical that you are monitoring your inbox and communicating anything that comes in.
What You Can Do Right Now:
Log in to CRA My Business Account and make sure your email address is current.
Set a monthly reminder to yourself to check for new mail on the portal.
Review your authorized representatives to ensure those details are up-to-date and current.
Don’t Let Missed Mail Cost You
Staying on top of CRA mail might feel like just another task on your already full plate — but ignoring it can cost you.
Whether it’s a missed GST installment reminder, a corporate tax assessment, or a follow-up request that gets buried in your inbox, these new CRA changes make it more important than ever to have a proactive plan in place.
We help small business owners stay on track with deadlines, filings, and correspondence so nothing slips through the cracks.
If you’re feeling unsure about how to manage your CRA responsibilities or want to make sure you're set up to succeed — let’s talk.
Important: If you don’t yet have a CRA My Account or can’t access it, you’ll need to set that up directly through the CRA website. Since it involves personal identity verification, third parties (such as your accountant or bookkeeper) are unable to assist with this part.
For help, please contact the CRA by phone at 1-800-959-8281 or visit the CRA website for more information.
